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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25969567">Where We Belong</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayRayTail/pseuds/RayRayTail'>RayRayTail</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Inspired by Fruits Basket, IwaKiyo (hinted), Multi, No knowledge of Fruits Basket is required, Pre-Relationship, slight angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:53:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25969567</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RayRayTail/pseuds/RayRayTail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yui didn't belong here, among the many members of the Seven Blessed Clans. In the sea of nicely tailored suits, dresses, and kimonos, she stood out with her off-putting baby face, short muted brown hair, and flowery sun dress that reached just below her knees. But, nevertheless, Daichi invited her, so she stayed. </p>
<p>Or, Yui feels out of place and Oikawa is there to help make everything better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru (unrequited), Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Michimiya Yui/Oikawa Tooru, Michimiya Yui/Sawamura Daichi (unrequited)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Where We Belong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by Fruits Basket<br/>(Basically the volleyball boys and their managers can turn into animals when hugged by the opposite sex)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She didn’t belong here.</p>
<p>Amongst the most influential clans of Japan, Yui was just a pathetic little country girl. She stood out with her off-putting baby face, short muted brown hair, and flowery sun dress that reached just below her knees. Everyone else in the banquet hall appeared so sophisticated with their appropriately tailored suits, dresses, and kimonos. And unlike Yui, they all knew each other and were easily able to mingle within the large crowd of the banquet hall.</p>
<p>Yearning for the company of the boy she came here for, her eyes roamed the room for any sign of Sawamura Daichi. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found, which wasn’t all too surprising considering the other attendees. While Daichi was pretty tall when standing next to her, he was actually quite small in comparison to his other acquaintances in the room.</p>
<p>When Daichi had invited her to the annual gathering of the Seven Blessed Clans, she worried about how receptive they would be to an outsider. The Seven Blessed Clans were very closed off and private people, and they were not so much blessed as they were cursed. No one knew how or why for sure, but each clan birthed a select group of people who were burdened with the ability to turn into animals whenever embraced by a member of the opposite sex. Daichi, future leader of the Karasuno Clan, was able to turn into a crow, which was something Yui hadn’t known about until recently despite their long-time friendship.</p>
<p>Ever since they were kids, she had just assumed he didn’t like touching people. It wasn’t until an accidental trip in the mud that Yui found out the truth.</p>
<p>It had happened on a rainy day, after they just so happened to be stranded at the same park, hiding under the same playscape, waiting for the sky to clear. Yui for the life of her couldn’t remember who had tripped first, but suddenly she was on the ground and a clearly startled black crow was in her arms, squawking in alarm. When it happened, Yui hadn’t screamed. She was stunned into silence until she finally realized that Daichi’s absence and the crow’s appearance were connected. After a few minutes of Yui apologizing profusely to a concerned crow, a cloud of smoke formed in their hiding place and a naked, <em>human</em> Daichi reappeared, ready to answer any questions she might have.</p>
<p>Yui didn’t really soak all of the information in until after Daichi was fully dressed and his expression matched the murky gray clouds hanging above them. He was cursed to forever be lacking in the physical touch of anyone of the opposite sex. The only exceptions included Shimizu Kiyoko and Yachi Hitoka, both of whom were members of his clan and carried the same curse as him. Upon learning all of this, a part of Yui wanted to cry. At the time, her crush on him was at its peak. She had known him since she was really little, and he had always been so nice. Daichi always knew how to make her laugh and smile, and whenever she was sad, he would be there. Never physically of course, but he would hold her hand and let her cry until her eyes were puffy and dry, and her nose was finished running. She had hoped that one day she would be able to confess to him.</p>
<p>But there was no way she could do it anymore. Even if he did somehow return her affections, it seemed cruel to dangle something in front of him that he couldn’t fully have. It hadn’t slipped her mind that romance wasn’t always physical, but she knew Sawamura wanted to have that sort of relationship. She could see it in his eyes when their mutual friend, Hayato finally got a girlfriend. The two of them would snuggle every once and awhile and Yui had caught Sawamura staring longingly on more than one occasion.</p>
<p>There were two things Yui realized the day she found out about his curse: 1) She would take his and his family’s secret with her to her grave, and 2) she’d have to give up on him for good.</p>
<p>It hurt. It really did. But Yui was trying to get over it. She wanted to be there for him the way he had been so many times in the past for her. Daichi had been so ecstatic a few days after the reveal, seeming to embrace the idea of having a friend he could talk to about his clan who had no relation to them. He appreciated her presence and eventually, decided to share his world with her. He introduced her to his fellow crows and even some of the other cursed members of other clans. Yui was a little overwhelmed, but ultimately at peace, knowing that she could be a person Daichi could whole-heartedly trust in and rely on.</p>
<p>It had been two years since Yui was brought into the world of the Seven Blessed Clans. She was getting used to the transforming-into-animals thing, and in a way, she enjoyed meeting so many new and interesting people. Bokuto Kotarou, heir of the Fukurodani clan, was the first person outside of Karasuno that Yui had the pleasure of meeting who was cursed. He had been so wild and crazy when he came to visit Daichi one day that he accidently ran straight into her, turning into an enormous great-horned owl and frantically flying around Daichi’s house in confusion. After getting to know him, Yui couldn’t help but be amazed by him. He lived his life to the best of his abilities, barging through any and all obstacles that got in his way with bold fists and an unforgettable laugh that could shake the very ground he walked on.</p>
<p>Speaking of which, despite not being able to find Daichi, Yui <em>was</em> able to catch a glimpse of Bokuto who was being flanked by two other cursed members of Fukurodani, Kaori and Akaashi, as the crazy-haired boy badgered the taller, more stoic heir of the Shiratorizawa clan. Yui hadn’t met Ushijima Wakatoshi before, but he was very intimidating. Daichi had continuously reassured her that Ushijima was actually quite nice, and while Yui was slightly relieved by that information, it didn’t quell any nerves or reservations she had about his clan as a whole. From what Sugawara had told her when she had begged him to help her prepare for this gathering, Shiratorizawa and Nohebi were two clans she wanted to steer clear of.</p>
<p>“The cursed ones of Shiratorizawa are … fine,” Sugawara said with a huff. “But they’re a little eccentric and hard to handle. Plus, the rest of the clan tends to be a little stuck up and elitist. I know, it sounds stupid coming from a member of the Karasuno clan. But trust me, they’re a lot worse than we are.”</p>
<p>“O-Okay, that’s good to know. But what about Nohebi?”</p>
<p>“Well, they aren’t <em>completely</em> horrible …”</p>
<p>“That’s not very reassuring, Suga.”</p>
<p>Yui didn’t know <em>who</em> the Nohebi clan were. Not really. She had never met any of them before. All she knew was that they were the most adamantly against her being aware of the curse when Daichi had revealed that she was privy to the secret. Of course, she also knew that their cursed ones turned into snakes, which was a little more unsettling than turning into a bird.</p>
<p>She supposed that the people silently giving her scrutinizing looks and glares probably belonged to either Shiratorizawa or Nohebi. The feeling of their eyes on her made her shrink even more into her corner. Ever since her arrival, she had stayed far away from the center of the room, even going so far as to avoid people she knew just so that she stayed completely out of everyone’s way.</p>
<p>Jeez. Why did she agree to come to this thing again? It wasn’t a good idea in the slightest. There were too many cursed boys and too many angry or annoyed relatives. She didn’t do the best under pressure, especially when Daichi wasn’t there to help her through it.</p>
<p>Where was that guy anyway? Couldn’t he see how out of place and helpless she was? She needed to get out of here fast-</p>
<p>“Ah, Michi-chan, I’m only mildly surprised to see you here.”</p>
<p>The sultry voice had Yui freezing, before finally twisting her head ever so slightly to the left and seeing Oikawa Tooru in a sleek black suit with a teal blue tie. He was always very handsome, but tonight even more so. The thought of his attractiveness had Yui blushing like the teenage girl she was.</p>
<p>Unlike her first encounter with Bokuto, her introduction to Oikawa had been less than stellar. He had been rude and completely insufferable towards Daichi to the point where Yui had had enough and she blew up at him, scolding him like the child he was proving himself to be. But of course, getting up in his face was not exactly the greatest of plans. She ended up tripping over her own seat, and instead of landing in the other boy’s arms or crashing to the floor below, she found herself draped over a small wolf. In response, Oikawa continuously growled and ranted at her for being careless until Daichi stepped in, demanding him to stop at once.</p>
<p>Since then, every time she had met Oikawa, he tended to tease her as much as possible until he could get a rise out of her or Daichi. Yui hadn’t been too hurt by it until she saw how he treated other girls their age. He was always so pleasant and sweet with them. Even when it came to the girls of the Seven Blessed Clans, who actually found his flirting to be pathetic and hilariously terrible. It’s not exactly like Yui <em>wanted</em> him to flirt with her. But it kind of bothered her how different he treated her in comparison to literally everyone else. Was it because she wasn’t feminine enough for him? Maybe it was because he just liked pissing Daichi off …</p>
<p>Or maybe he actually viewed her as a friend and thus felt comfortable being normal around her. That was what Yui hoped was the reason anyway. She loathed to admit it, but she quite liked the idea of being friends with Oikawa. Beyond his teasing and his pettiness, he was quite a dynamic person and surprisingly she enjoyed his outrageous personality.</p>
<p>“Oikawa,” Yui finally found her voice. “How are you?”</p>
<p>“I’m doing as fine as I can, I suppose,” he replied wistfully. “Couldn’t help but notice you hiding in a corner. If you weren’t going to mingle, you probably shouldn’t have come.”</p>
<p>Yui gulped, clasping her hands together and squeezing her eyes shut in embarrassment. Did he really have to call her out like this? “I-I know.”</p>
<p>There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.</p>
<p>“I guess I can understand a bit. I’m not entirely comfortable myself.”</p>
<p>Yui’s eyes opened as she caught the grimace on Oikawa’s face. His gaze was stuck on a certain broad-shouldered, spiky-haired boy who stood closer to the center of the room. Iwaizumi Hajime was too busy attempting to properly dance with Shimizu Kiyoko to notice Oikawa’s eyes burning a hole through him.</p>
<p>Yui cringed.</p>
<p>Ever since learning about the curse, she had become privy to a lot of the clan drama as well. For instance, she knew about inner-clan relationships, rivalries, and feuds that she probably shouldn’t have known about. It wasn’t entirely something she had wanted, but there was no helping the rampant gossip that traveled from clan to clan. Being Daichi’s friend also meant, being aware of a lot of the things going on around him.</p>
<p>One of those things included Oikawa’s heartbreaking one-sided love for his clanmate, Iwaizumi. Almost everyone knew about it, especially after the Seijoh clan heir was outright rejected by the object of his affections. After the fact, Oikawa would sometimes crawl to Daichi’s house, away from his Seijoh friends and family just to rant and sulk. Daichi wasn’t entirely fond of it, but Yui knew for a fact that he felt overwhelming sympathy for his fellow cursed heir. After all, Daichi had his own unrequited love as well …</p>
<p>At least, that’s what he confessed to her one night just a few minutes after putting Oikawa to sleep on his guest futon.</p>
<p>Yui’s heart clenched for both of them. In Daichi’s case, she still couldn’t help the slight pain in her chest at the idea of Daichi loving someone else. But recently, it had morphed into a sort of sadness at the idea of someone not being able to return Daichi’s love.</p>
<p>In Oikawa’s case … well, Yui didn’t quite know. She felt bad for him, sure, but the pain she felt whenever she was reminded of Oikawa’s unreturned affections was a lot more intense than necessary for someone she barely even considered a friend.</p>
<p>With a sigh, Yui found herself reaching over and placing a delicate hand on his shoulder. He startled at the touch and gazed back at her, his expression changing.</p>
<p>“At least we can be miserable together?” Yui tried.</p>
<p>Oikawa blinked before cracking a grin. “Me? Miserable? Oh, Michi-chan … how can someone this gorgeous ever be miserable?”</p>
<p>The question was so outlandish that Yui couldn’t help the wave of amusement that overtook her as she huffed out a laugh and slapped his shoulder. “You’re ridiculous!”</p>
<p>“No, <em>you’re</em> ridiculous,” he proclaimed. “Me being miserable? How could you ever suggest that? Especially when I’m in the presence of such a lovely girl.”</p>
<p>Yet again, he was joking. His teasing wink caused Yui to roll her eyes. She tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks and the giant smile on her face. “I guess you’re right. I’m a delight to be around! So no more frowning, ya hear? Do you want to mess up your so-called beautiful face with wrinkle lines?”</p>
<p>“So-called, she says,” Oikawa muttered. “I’ll have you know my face was carved by the gods.”</p>
<p>“Yes, yes,” Yui nodded along mockingly. “Which gods were they exactly? I just want to know who to blame for making you so vain.”</p>
<p>Oikawa leaned in, just a little. “Michi-chan, how terrible. You don’t have to tease me, you know?”</p>
<p>“Just think of it as payback for all of the times you’ve teased me and been a complete jerk.”</p>
<p>Oikawa pouted.</p>
<p>Yui wanted to say more, but it was then that her eyes caught sight of Daichi.</p>
<p><em>Finally!</em> She wanted to shout, as she watched him slip through the crowd. Her breath caught however, when she saw him school his nervous expression into something more neutral before tapping on the shoulder of the Nekoma clan’s heir, Kuroo Tetsurou.</p>
<p>Kuroo turned around and as soon as he saw who it was, his eyes lit up just a bit. His crazy smirk relaxed into a more pleasant smile as he began to converse with the shorter boy.</p>
<p>Yui had only met Kuroo once, when she had accidently caught him in his cat form huddled on a large rock in Daichi’s yard, sunbathing. When she called attention to the animal lounging about outside, Daichi had quickly ran out to talk to it. After a couple of minutes of back and forth, a cloud of smoke suddenly burst into existence and a tall, naked teen with sharp eyes and messy hair took the place of the black cat. Yui was quick to look away while Daichi only rolled his eyes and gave the boy a change of clothes that somehow fit him. (Maybe they were spare clothes specifically set aside for him?). Daichi had seemed normal conversing with a naked Kuroo Tetsurou, but as soon as Daichi was able to flee into the kitchen, he allowed for his cheeks to flood red and his body to go rigid in embarrassment.</p>
<p>It was then that Yui knew: Kuroo was Daichi’s unrequited love.</p>
<p>But looking at the two of them now, it didn’t seem so unrequited at all. She could see Daichi’s affection for Kuroo reflected right back at him on Kuroo’s face.</p>
<p>A part of her was sad, but another part of her felt … relieved, almost happy. Her friend was in love and he was surely loved back.</p>
<p>“Michi-chan, you’re a lot better than me.”</p>
<p>Oikawa’s voice brought Yui back to her situation. She looked back at the taller boy with a quirked eyebrow. Oikawa tilted his head at her as a forlorn smile graced his lips.</p>
<p>“Did you notice you’re genuinely smiling?” he asked.</p>
<p>Yui froze, lifting a hand to feel the upward lilt of her mouth. No, she hadn’t.</p>
<p>“When I found out Iwa-chan couldn’t love me, I threw a fit,” Oikawa reminded her. “But here you are … <em>smiling</em>.”</p>
<p>“That’s-” Yui hesitated. “I love Daichi. Whether I love him romantically anymore doesn’t matter much. I-I feel happy that he’s happy. He deserves it.”</p>
<p>Oikawa observed her for a moment. “Iwa-chan deserves it too.” With a sigh, he hung his head. “I’m such a horrible best friend.”</p>
<p>Yui frowned. “You’re only human, Oikawa.”</p>
<p>“Am I, though?”</p>
<p>“Even with the curse, you’re the most human person I’ve ever met.” It wasn’t until after she said this that Yui felt a little embarrassed. She really hoped he didn’t ask her to elaborate. She didn’t even know if she could.</p>
<p>Oikawa gave her an unreadable look then, causing her to stiffen. “That’s new,” he finally commented after what felt like hours.</p>
<p>Yui stood there uncomfortably, not knowing whether or not she should ask what he meant. Fortunately, he continued on without any prompting.</p>
<p>“I think that’s the first time someone has ever told me that.” He then smirked. “Most people say I’m more god-like than human.”</p>
<p>She gave him another smack. “You’re ridiculous!” <em>And deflecting</em>, she wanted to add.</p>
<p>“Michi-chan! You’re so violent for a girl!” He whined. “Shouldn’t you be more lady-like so you don’t ward off any potential suitors?”</p>
<p>Yui huffed. “The only person I see around here is you, and you barely treat me like a girl, anyway. Besides, I’m lady-like enough as it is!”</p>
<p>Once again, Oikawa fell silent. His eyes bored into hers, eliciting a shiver that rattled her whole body. She felt nervous, excited almost. She found that she liked it when he looked only at her.</p>
<p>The longer he stared, the hotter her cheeks burned, until she could no longer stay still. She found herself grabbing at her cheeks, willing them to cool down.</p>
<p>A flutter of laughter escaped Oikawa’s lips as she did this, not helping her attempts at calming down in the slightest.</p>
<p>“Michi-chan, you’re always so unexpectedly cute.”</p>
<p>“W-Wha!” she gasped. “D-Don’t say that, Oikawa! Oh, I’m so embarrassed …”</p>
<p>Yui hadn’t noticed he’d stepped closer until it was too late. His fingers delicately wrapped around her wrists and pried her hands away from her burning cheeks. At first she tried to fight it, but eventually she gave into his pull, allowing for her face to be on full display for him.</p>
<p>“Cute,” he repeated.</p>
<p>“Please stop teasing.”</p>
<p>“I’m not trying to,” he told her. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Michi-chan, how would you feel about ditching this party?”</p>
<p>“D-Ditching?” she spluttered. “But I promised Daichi I’d be here for him-”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t be too worried about that. He seems occupied.”</p>
<p>And it was true. Yui glanced up to see that Daichi and Kuroo had moved to the side of the room, eyes gleaming as they whispered into each other’s ears. They were so close, practically breathing each other’s air as they elicited tentative touches across one another’s arms and shoulders.</p>
<p>The scene left Yui feeling warm, proud even. The affection radiating off of them was so loud that Yui wondered if she should even be looking. It was as if she had caught a couple making out on a park bench.</p>
<p>Looking back at Oikawa, Yui smiled. “You’re right. I … I would love to ditch this party with you.”</p>
<p>“Perfect,” he replied, his expression beginning to match her own.</p>
<p>He released only her right hand, leading her out by her left. Once the cool spring air kissed their skin and whisked at their clothes, they began their trek down the street and away from their problems. They made their way to the closest park and spent the rest of their night walking along the park trail.</p>
<p>As they talked, teased, and laughed, their joined hands swung comfortably between them.</p>
<p>This, Yui lamented later, was where she belonged.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was just a quick idea I had in my mind that I wanted to at least try writing. Hope you enjoyed it!</p>
<p>Just for reference, the Seven Blessed Clans are ...<br/>Karasuno, the Crows<br/>Nekoma, the Cats<br/>Seijoh, the Wolves<br/>Shiratorizawa, the Swans<br/>Fukurodani, the Owls<br/>Nohebi, the Snakes<br/>and Inarizaki, the Foxes (I really wanted to include them but I couldn't seem to fit them in)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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